Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

God invites us daily to walk with Him, listen to His Voice of wisdom, yield our will to His Goodness for us all because of His great love for us.  Do we honor the invitation to come join Him? Do we run to Him because we trust Him to know what is best for us?  Do we listen, hanging on every word He speaks, as we sit at His Table that He has prepared before us, full of His rich love, mercy, and grace?

We confess there are challenging people in our lives who when we are invited to come to their house, we cringe for it most often does not end well with particular people who want to take advantage of us, crush our spirits, manipulate our thoughts, and break our hearts all for gaining self-worth as being over us to satisfy their need for power and position.  But that is not God.  God is Sovereign for He created all and is in all.  He is not inviting us to push us around; God invites us to His Table to enjoy the riches and treasures that are beyond all this earth has to offer.  God is good. God is love. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  God draws near to those in pursuit of Him!

God invites us into His Presence, His House, with His Goodness with each breath we take. God longs to bless us with all the gifts He knows we need most at just the right time wrapped up with the calm assurances of His love.  Peace is one of those gifts we seek in a world of unrest!  Love and Acceptance with a sense of belonging are priceless, forever gifts from His storehouse of riches that are beyond compare in a world who do not know God so they do not know real love.  Love to the world is act like you love so you can get what you want in return.  Love is used to manipulate. This is not God nor His love. This poor imitations of love sits on the table of the Enemy.  The Enemy invites us daily to his table of all that is not God.

God invites. The Enemy invites.  Who do you choose to accept?

I chose God’s invitation to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8

The Enemy invites us to a mirage that looks good temporarily but soon fades to death.

But, it’s our choice.

We are cordially invited into the Splendor of His Holy Presence.  Micah, the prophet of God reports that ANYONE who seeks justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly with our God is invited.  David sings the same truth with many more verses!  Here are a few of those verses—

Psalm 15, The Message

A psalm of David.

God, who gets invited to dinner at your place?
How do we get on your guest list?

² “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth.

^3-4 “Don’t hurt your friend, don’t blame your neighbor;
        despise the despicable.

⁵ “Keep your word even when it costs you,
    make an honest living, never take a bribe.

“You’ll never get blacklisted
if you live like this.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

An invitation is not fully complete until it is validated with a response. 

What is our RSVP to Jesus who lived to die on a cruel cross for our sins, to pay the debt of our sins in full, once and for all, removing them to be remembered no more? 

What is our answer to “God in the flesh,” Jesus who came and moved into the neighborhood of humanity to demonstrate the deep, abiding love of God? 

What is our response to the God who was, is, and always will be God, the One and Only who resurrected Jesus from death to life in victory, the powerful act of a living God who wants to give us the ultimate gift of ETERNAL LIFE!?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

THIS is God.  God invites us now to believe, confess our sins in Jesus Name, and be saved, reconciled to God, and set free from our sins. God invites to come boldly to His Throne daily, asking for what we need most to live a life worthy of all He has done for us—all for our good and His glory!  God response is to gift us with Help from His Holy Spirit to live in us—a holy relationship with untold benefits!

What an invitation from God who created us!  —How can we refuse Life? 

If you are still stuck on the “requirements” of walking with God, consider the price Jesus paid for our lives once more. Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God willingly allowed his human body to be beaten, spit on, and brutally whipped with cords with metal spikes at the end. He was beaten so badly, He was unrecognizable. He felt the pain as the Son of Man. Jesus then chose to lay down on two planks of wood so the Roman soldiers could nail Him to a cross. 

All the sins of the world were placed upon His bared shoulders for He was the Only One without sin to be the sin sacrifice for our sins.  His cross was painfully pulled with ropes into a high place for all the world to see.  He willing and humbly carried our sins until death removed them. As death loomed, He forgave as He suffered greatly for us. After death, His Body was taken down by those who loved Him.  They wanted to restore His dignity with respect for His Body as they laid Him in a borrowed tomb. 

But God—three days later—completed His Plan to save the world and defeat the foe of destruction. God brought Jesus back to life, scars, and all, to walk among those who had followed Jesus.  Jesus appeared among them with a beautiful gift of God—Peace.

According to the Gospel of John (20:19-21), Jesus’ first words to his disciples upon appearing after the resurrection were, “Peace be with you” (Shalom aleikhem). He repeated this phrase to a terrified, hidden group on resurrection day and later to them, including Thomas, to offer reassurance, calm, and reconciliation.  How beautiful is our Lord who knows our hearts and knows what we need most!

In fact, Jesus appeared to his disciples and others over a 40-day period to prove he was alive, demonstrating a glorified body that could appear in locked rooms. Key appearances included Mary Magdalene at the tomb, the apostles (including Thomas), two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and a group of over 500 people!  He’s alive! He has risen!  Our resurrected King is Our Hope of eternal Life!

God declared Jesus, His Son as King of kings and Lord of lords for His sacrificial act of obedience. (Philippians 2)

God’s promise to believers is that they are firmly grounded on His covenant promises and need not fear.

So, it seems that what God asks of us is a very small price to pay for our loyalty to God who wants the best for us and sent His best to save us!  Jesus our Savior desires to be the Lord of our lives and taught us how to walk humbly with our God.  He has shown us what is required of us for our good and His glory.  Walk a life worthy of our invitation!

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all You have done, are doing, and will do in our lives to help us be more like you and less like us before knowing you.  Thank you for perfectly forgiving our imperfect lives. Thank you for guiding us out of temptations of evil by overcoming evil right before our eyes. Thank you for hearing our prayers with answers of wisdom, insight, and more understanding each day we live for you even though we will never understand it all until we see you face to face.  That’s okay as long as you are in the lead!

In Jesus Name, Amen

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name

Taking my sin my cross my shame
Rising again I bless your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name

(Songwriter: James Wright, You Are My All in All lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing)

GOOD NEWS—FOOLS CAN BE RECONCILED TO GOD AND BECOME WISE!      

In David’s next psalm, he is clearly fed up with godless humanity resisting and ignoring God. He almost mourns on behalf of God but ends his song by declaring that God is with the righteous.  David begins by telling it like it is for him with; “Only fools say there is no God.” Psalm 14:1, NIV (A more familiar translation to most of us.)

And fools do stupid things.

“Lord, to give up, I be a fool…”

Psalm 14, The Message

For the director of music. Of David.

Bilious and bloated, they gas, “God is gone.”
Their words are poison gas,
    fouling the air; they poison
Rivers and skies;
    thistles are their cash crop.

² God sticks his head out of heaven.
    He looks around.
He’s looking for someone not stupid—
    one man, even, God-expectant,
    just one God-ready woman.

³ He comes up empty. A string
    of zeros. Useless, unshepherded
Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd.
The ninety and nine
    follow their fellow.

⁴ Don’t they know anything,
    all these predators?
Don’t they know
    they can’t get away with this—
Treating people like a fast-food meal
    over which they’re too busy to pray?

^5-6 Night is coming for them, and nightmares,
    for God takes the side of victims.
Do you think you can mess
    with the dreams of the poor?
You can’t, for God
    makes their dreams come true.

⁷ Is there anyone around to save Israel?
    Yes. God is around; God turns life around.
Turned-around Jacob skips rope,
    turned-around Israel sings laughter.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We cannot fix our lives by our good intentions, foolish behaviors of force or sly manipulations of people. This is the work of the Enemy who we fall for and do his bidding. 

Only God can turn our lives around.

We are not perfect. We have all sinned. Therefore, we do not have what it takes to save our souls from sin or cleanse and remove sin. We can try to hide or cover them up; but that never works for our sins will find us out.  God has a much better plan and ONLY God could implement this plan. Here is how just in case we forgot momentarily in our foolhardy ways of thinking;  

Turning around from self to God begins with seeking God with a heart of surrender.  It is at this point of surrender that comes with a spiritual embrace of His Love. 

Only God is Love. God’s love is what humanity seeks but does not fully contain or understand—until surrender.  Before surrender, humanity seeks all other kinds of love to fill our emptiness, but become frustrated and lost which leads to foolhardy behaviors. It is God’s Love that truly fills up and completes us with what we seek most—God.

God’s Love is The One and Only Plan that saves us and transforms our lives by his added mercy and grace.  The Plan of Love was demonstrated in His Son, Jesus, who was sent to earth in the form of a human baby, born of a virgin, and cared for by a deeply devote earthly father.  When it was time, Jesus then left home to walk the earth to demonstrate God’s real, abiding, never giving up Love.  This Love lifted the trodden from the dirt, healed the broken hearted, gave life to dead men walking, stood in the gap for the poor and marginalized, and sent the demons of possessed men and women packing!  Surrender to Jesus changed everything!

God’s Love contains Power, the power of His Holy Spirit, the world does not possess until each human says yes to God in surrender in the Name of Jesus who removed our sins on the cross. Only Jesus could save us because He lived his life on earth without sin.  He was the perfect sacrifice for sin guided by and filled with the Perfect Love of God. Love led Jesus to willingly lay down His life for ours.  Pause, read that again, and thank Him!

Verse three is an indictment of the sin of the world—all people, individually or collectively, cannot do anything at all that is good enough to earn or deserve heaven—no one, not even one. See Romans 3. The whole world is guilty before God and can be saved only by the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:9–26).

God promised a Messiah and the Messiah, Jesus, came to save us.  God always keeps His promises!

And what about the fools who reject God? They have no future with the Lord, because the foolhardy prefer not to know the Lord or live for Him. They live according to the desires of their own heart, not to please the Lord and glorify Him. Those who reject Jesus Christ will spend eternity apart from the Lord and will honestly be able to say in hell, “There is no God—here!”  Only then will their words ring true.

Lord,

I surrender all that I am to you again this morning.  You are my all in all.  Without you, life is meaningless.  Make your desires be the desired of my heart in every detail of today, tomorrow, and forever.  I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul.  To you be all glory, honor, and praise. There is no one like you, Lord God. Show us the way to go for all my trust is in you.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

Wouldn’t it be great if liar’s britches really did catch on fire as soon as they began talking the lie language? Then we would be sure that truth cannot be found in their words.  We can turn and quickly be on our merry way with God in the lead while avoiding the “lie language” as mention by David, the Songwriter of Life.         

Psalm 12

^1-2 Quick, God, I need your helping hand!
The last decent person just went down,
All the friends I depended on gone.
Everyone talks in lie language;
Lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues.

^3-4 Slice their lips off their faces! Pull
The braggart tongues from their mouths!
I’m tired of hearing, “We can talk anyone into anything!
Our lips manage the world.”

⁵ Into the hovels of the poor,
Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:
“I’ve had enough; I’m on my way
To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched.”

^6-8 God’s words are pure words,
Pure silver words refined seven times
In the fires of his word-kiln,
Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
God, keep us safe from their lies,
From the wicked who stalk us with lies,
From the wicked who collect honors
For their wonderful lies.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn that “they” have first been deceived by the Destroyer and Prince of Darkness, the Enemy of God.  We all can easily fall for his deception and lies as he is crafty enough to make his lies sound good as he masquerades as an “angel of the light” among us.

Paul writes to the church; “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” which means the devil masks evil as looking good, almost truth, or jaded righteousness to deceive people to get us to do what he wants—to distract us from God so he can destroy our faith in God. Instead of appearing obviously dark, he uses attractive, spiritual-looking, or “higher consciousness” falsehoods to lead people away from biblical truth.  Satan is the author of the lie language and is the fire we want to avoid!

^“And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 NIV

David was also frustrated by the evil that he saw in those around him. He praised God for his faithfulness and constancy. David knew that even when things seem to be falling apart around him because of the Deceiver; God was/is/and always will be in control. Everything falls within God’s domain. God has not and will never give us His authority. It is God whose love never changes and His Truth is absolute. Whether we choose to believe Him or not, Truth is and always will be Truth.  “You be you and I’ll be me” is today’s lie language promoted by Satan. Don’t fall for it!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow with His powerful protection, daily provision, eternal wisdom, insight, and understanding in as we battle our on-going skirmishes with the Enemy.  Know this: The Enemy has already been defeated by Jesus when He died for our sins and then rose in victory over death to life so all who believe with have the gift of eternal life!  No lie! The war has already been won; but until Jesus comes back again the Enemy seeks to destroy our faith.

“Put on the full armor of God,” Paul teaches the church the Enemy hates. Know this:  What Satan hates most is believers on their knees praying in Jesus Name. This very act will cause our Enemy to flee the premises in fear and trembling! So, we must do it often as our first line of defense!  Here is the rest of that passage;

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:10-18

Avoid the Deceiver with His lie language at all costs!  God will help us when we call on His Name! 

Internalize these words of David as a response to God today;

“God’s words are pure words, Pure silver words refined seven times In the fires of his word-kiln, Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
God, keep us safe from their lies, From the wicked who stalk us with lies…”

In Jesus Name, Amen

I will never forgot the words of a visiting evangelist who made an impression on my heart as a young adult.  These words passionately spilled out from the preacher one night in week-long revival, “If you think you can no longer hear God and you can no longer see and feel His Presence in your life; guess who moved? It wasn’t God!”  A quiet hush fell over the room as the preacher paused for a minute to let God speak the hearts gathered in the room.  The Holy Spirit of God began to work on the broken hearted with crushed spirits.  Then the preacher repeated the question with different, more personal emphasis; “If you don’t feel as close to God as you used to, who moved? 

The point of the message was clear.  If you feel distant from God, you are the one who has changed position. The solution to the problem was give up your position of self and humbly repent of your sins, praying in Jesus’ name to forgive you, for this is the only way to come back into the Holy Presence of God to reconnect our relationship with Him.  God does move from where He is as the God of all He has created, the One and Only God who sent His Son to save us by dying a cruel death on a cross to remove the sins of the world. The resurrection of Jesus defeated death and darkness.  “And we shall be like Him” who believe and be given eternal life to live with Him forever! God solved it all by making a way once and for all to remove our sins and change our eternal address! –All our sins for all the world all because of God’s unchanging, relentless, powerful, unmoving love for us!  

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

The motivation for sending Jesus was God’s immense love for the entire world. God has no favorite people group or culture for God so loves the world!  All are welcome with the open arms of a loving Father who longs to be near us and live in us.

God gave his “only begotten Son” (Jesus) as a sacrifice for humanity—His gift as the way to reconcile (reconnect) our holy, intimate relationship with God.  Salvation is offered to “whoever believes,” offering eternal life instead of perishing in hell. Jesus was not sent to judge or condemn the world, but to bring salvation to the world in need of a Savior and Lord. Only Jesus, God in the flesh, could do this for us. Jesus did what we cannot do for ourselves—remove our sins—to be remembered no more!  “No one comes to the Father except through Me” says Jesus. 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”—Jesus, John 14:6

If you are trying others ways to move closer to God other than Jesus, then you more than likely moving away from His Presence. 

These verses of Truth from God’s Word show that God is alive and actively pursuing humanity rather than waiting for humanity to become acceptable to Him.  God accepts all who come as they are. But He doesn’t leave us as we are because He has so much more to give us to help us to grow more like Him in every way!  God is more, always more!  He is more than enough to save us from our selfishness, our inclination to go our own way without Him, and more than enough to bring us back home into His Presence.  He is more than enough, more than we imagine, more than anyone else can be and do! HE is God—we are not.  We need Him and He desires to faithfully supply our need.

THIS is the heart of the Good News gospel that summarizes the message of redemption and God’s desire for reconciliation with humanity—all who believe with a desire to have and to cling to an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, His Son. 

Come home.  He’s been looking for you, pursuing you, while waiting patiently with open arms.  But it’s our decision to come home.

Ah, the memories, there was nothing like a good Oklahoma revival; a time when we invited all our friends and family to church with us so everyone we knew could hear the good news of Jesus.  We prayed hard for souls weeks before the event. We worked hard to muster the courage to invite our acquaintances and even strangers on the streets of life!  Some of us invited neighbors we didn’t know and those we did business with weekly at local businesses.

I have learned that revival, however, is daily! The energy and power of revival comes over us as we give our lives to God as an offering daily!  Don’t reserve the Good News of Jesus for special occasions; people need Jesus now! (See Romans 12, Matthew 28:20)

David sings of God’s Presence, of the enemies who do not know God so they try to move us from God, along with the truth that it is not God who moved—it is us.

Psalm 11, The Message

^1-3 I’ve already run for dear life
    straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now
    when you say,

“Run to the mountains; the evil
    bows are bent, the wicked arrows
Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness
    at every heart open to God.
The bottom’s dropped out of the country;
    good people don’t have a chance”?

^4-6 But God hasn’t moved to the mountains;
    his holy address hasn’t changed.
He’s in charge, as always, his eyes
    taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam’s flesh and blood
    inside and out, not missing a thing.
He tests the good and the bad alike;
    if anyone cheats, God’s outraged.
Fail the test and you’re out,
    out in a hail of firestones,
Drinking from a canteen
    filled with hot desert wind.

⁷ God’s business is putting things right;
    he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we’re standing tall,
    we can look him straight in the eye.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We learn the truth that God indeed “puts everything right” in our world with Jesus.  Jesus demonstrated the love God has for us by laying down His life for our sins.  Jesus “sets us straight” with God when we repent of our sins to Him.  “God doesn’t miss a thing” that is happening in the lives of those He loves—ALL His created humanity. 

Our response?

Believe and be saved from the bondage and yuk of sin with all the ugly side effects of our sin-sickness.  Be healed and set free!

Run to Him who receives us back with open arms of love and forgiveness because of His never-ending mercy and amazing grace.

Seek God first, ask Him daily for help to walk gratefully and humbly with God. He is faithful and just to give us all we need to grow in our intimate, holy relationship with Him. 

God has not moved.  He has not given up His authority. His love has not changed and never will. His mercies last a lifetime. His faithfulness is forever. God is able and never fails. 

God never misses a thing going on in our lives and stands ready to help us! 

To God be the glory, honor, and praise!

In Jesus Name, Yes and Amen!

And we’re singing—

We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love—
for Jesus, who died, and is now gone above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.

Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love.
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Hallelujah! Amen!
Hallelujah! Thine the glory! Revive us again.

(Revive Us Again, Author: W. P. Mackay 1863, 1867)

When we become perplexed and confused, it is usually because we have fallen for the sly and hurtful words of those not satisfied with themselves and their circumstances. People of discontent can be harsh as they criticize and judge—especially when seek what God says is good for us and will declare the glory of God!  Naysayers are hard to relate to because they refuse to hear our hearts as they seek to avoid the truth of the matter.  Our hearts break when we see this particular behavior become a habit in our loved ones who live miserable lives as they seek self first rather than God whose thoughts will always be higher and greater. 

God who created all, knows all, and is in all.  God knows our hearts, our names, and our stories. He knows exactly what we need when we need it most and supplies our every need.  God is wise and faithful to provide exactly what we need; not what we want. God’s gifts are varied according to our real need.  God gifts are given to those who are selfless servants who seek Him first before doing anything of significance in His Kingdom work.  His love flows through those who listen, see, and hear others in need with a desire to be of help.

As believers, God’s greatest gift is His Presence with us always. When God draws near to us as we draw near to Him, we find peace, joy, and encouragement.  More encouraging words of affirmation and less criticism begin to form as we draw close to others who need, telling them what we have found in God!  When we seek to be filled with His love; His love grows and freely flows through us to others!

God’s Holy Spirit living in us produces the courage trust and obey God in all the details of our lives. He refreshes us as we refresh and encourage others with His words coming from our mouths becoming a never-ending circle of building each other up as Paul writes to the church, the Body of Christ! 

“God didn’t set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we’re awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we’re alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you’re already doing this; just keep on doing it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11, MSG

God is with us, His Holy Spirit living within us, all because of Jesus’ work on the cross to remove our sins so that we may be reconciled in our relationship with God.  Others who believe, see Jesus reflected from us as God works in us to bear the fruits of His Spirit—the traits of His character.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  So, when someone says, “I see Jesus in you”; know these words as the greatest gift of affirmation to give and to receive, sincerely, without seeking to get something in return. When we see Jesus in others; tell them! Every one could use a Word of affirmation—the greatest way to show the love of God!

“Love each other as I have loved you”—Jesus new commandment was given to His disciples before laying down his life to pay for the sins of the world whom God loves.  It is the grace of God, prompted by His relentless love, coupled with Jesus’ willing obedience that held Him on the cross to finish the work of salvation for all who believe.  God’s grace wins over evil every time.  Trust God, He knows what He is doing!

David is crying out to God about those who do not affirm but blow out the hot air of wicked words from their beings who do not know God.  He wrestles with the age-old problem, “Why doesn’t God do something about the prosperity of the blowhards who cause misery to others while ignoring the needs of the poor and afflicted?” 

Psalm 10

^1-2 God, are you avoiding me?
    Where are you when I need you?
Full of hot air, the wicked
    are hot on the trail of the poor.
Trip them up, tangle them up
    in their fine-tuned plots.

^3-4 The wicked are windbags,
    the swindlers have foul breath.
The wicked snub God,
    their noses stuck high in the air.
Their graffiti are scrawled on the walls:
    “Catch us if you can!” “God is dead.”

^5-6 They care nothing for what you think;
    if you get in their way, they blow you off.
They live (they think) a charmed life:
    “We can’t go wrong. This is our lucky year!”

^7-8 They carry a mouthful of spells,
    their tongues spit venom like adders.
They hide behind ordinary people,
    then pounce on their victims.

⁹ They mark the luckless,
    then wait like a hunter in a blind;
When the poor wretch wanders too close,
    they stab him in the back.

^10-11 The hapless fool is kicked to the ground,
    the unlucky victim is brutally axed.
He thinks God has dumped him,
    he’s sure that God is indifferent to his plight.

^12-13 Time to get up, God—get moving.
    The luckless think they’re Godforsaken.
They wonder why the wicked scorn God
    and get away with it,
Why the wicked are so cocksure
    they’ll never come up for audit.

¹⁴ But you know all about it—
    the contempt, the abuse.
I dare to believe that the luckless
    will get lucky someday in you.
You won’t let them down:
    orphans won’t be orphans forever.

^15-16 Break the wicked right arms,
    break all the evil left arms.
Search and destroy
    every sign of crime.
God’s grace and order wins;
    godlessness loses.

^17-18 The victim’s faint pulse picks up;
    the hearts of the hopeless pump red blood
    as you put your ear to their lips.
Orphans get parents,
    the homeless get homes.
The reign of terror is over,
    the rule of the gang lords is ended.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God’s grace wins!  As the psalm draws to a close, David expresses his full confidence that God is on His throne and has everything under His control. The Lord may not explain to us why some people seem to get away with their evil deeds, but He does assure us that He will judge sinners and ultimately defend His own people. God answers all David’s concerns as He prays and sings to God.  Isn’t that just like God?  As we pray; He answers with wisdom.

God sees the trouble (outward circumstances) and grief (inward feelings) caused by the wicked as they harass the helpless, and He will take the matter in hand. God has the final say.  Believers in Jesus can depend on the God of heaven, but the self-confident and arrogant in our world have no future with the Lord. Life without the Lord is empty and vain and leads only to death.

I choose Life, how about you?

Trust God, He knows what He’s doing!

Lord,

Thank you for the honestly of David’s concerns for they are ours at times, too. Thank you for allowing us to walk boldly to your throne for help, wisdom, and encouragement to live for you among the wicked who do not.  Help us to help each other by your Spirit living in us.  Help us to do what you require of us daily; seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with you by your power enabling to be and do what you say.

In Jesus Name, Amen

I will never forget a time in grade school when one girl in my class, the leader influencer of us all, decided we all needed to not like another girl.  I didn’t understand why.  Growing up going to church with parents who were dedicated to God and lived their lives for God, and who taught me to be kind to all people cause this new situation to trouble me. It was the first time that my church world collided with my school world that included some who didn’t know God or go to church.  I thought everyone went to church, loved Jesus, and tried to do what He taught us to be and do as God’s child.  Ah, but some do not.  My life was simple faith and instruction for a simple time in the “last century” in which I lived as a fifth grader in that moment.

I had a choice to make. I could follow the leader of the mean girls who told all on the playground and in the classroom (before the Teacher arrived), that Janice had cooties and we needed a spray to make sure we didn’t get them from her; or I could follow what I had been taught from home and church about how to treat others. What I chose for a day or two was to stand back, watch, and be silent. But as the hate escalated, I saw how Janice felt when accused and mocked and I couldn’t take it any longer.  She was innocent and left alone to bear the slander.  The look in her eyes troubled my heart of conviction.

With a bit of fear, and then prayer, coupled with determination; I asked the leader who was my friend before all this happened—why.  Why are we doing this? Can you explain it to me, because I don’t get it.  What has Janice actually done to deserve making fun of her? We all dress pretty much alike, so it can’t be that. We all have to come here to learn, so it can’t be that.  We all are girls who need and want friends.  Janice needs a friend but instead we are told to hate her, so can you tell me why?  The leader could not.  I felt God’s Presence, so I asked more questions. The more I spoke; the more God gave me to say that day.  I will never forget it.  I loved all the girls in my class, especially the leader who I admired for her ability to pull us together as a group to do good things.  Why just decide one day to push another girl out?  She didn’t have answer—odd because most of the time she did!  She listened quietly and simply said, “I don’t know.”  Nothing else was said.

In the days to come, I watched as my leader friend befriended Janice!  So much so, that I thought our Teacher must have noticed and spoke to the girls privately.  Janice came to school with a big smile on her face that changed her whole countenance! I almost didn’t recognize her. I was so happy for her!  I watched and learned how a leader could change the actions of mean girls into girls with a heart of kindness with their own attitude adjustment.  A leader of influence can do that in minutes when their heart transforms.  

Maybe it was these early experiences in life that God used to lead me into teaching with a heart’s desire to make a difference in the lives of those marginalized for whatever reason.  God sees our hearts. God knows our stories.  Our Just God sees all injustice and provides a Way through it all.  That ultimate Way provided is called Jesus. Jesus took all the injustices of the world produced by our sins and nailed them to the cross.  And what does God require of us? The prophet Micah, who spoke for God, before the Messiah came to earth centuries later repeated, “Seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase extends the thought with;

  “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.” Micah 6:8, The Message                             

David’s song on the run expresses these thoughts while being pursued!

Psalm 7, The Message

 ^1-2 God! God! I am running to you for dear life;
    the chase is wild.
If they catch me, I’m finished:
    ripped to shreds by foes fierce as lions,
    dragged into the forest and left
    unlooked for, unremembered.

^3-5 God, if I’ve done what they say—
    betrayed my friends,
    ripped off my enemies—
If my hands are really that dirty,
    let them get me, walk all over me,
    leave me flat on my face in the dirt.

^6-8 Stand up, God; pit your holy fury
    against my furious enemies.
Wake up, God. My accusers have packed
    the courtroom; it’s judgment time.
Take your place on the bench, reach for your gavel,
    throw out the false charges against me.
I’m ready, confident in your verdict:
    “Innocent.”

^9-11 Close the book on Evil, God,
    but publish your mandate for us.
You get us ready for life:
    you probe for our soft spots,
    you knock off our rough edges.
And I’m feeling so fit, so safe:
    made right, kept right.
God in solemn honor does things right,
    but his nerves are sandpapered raw.

^11-13 Nobody gets by with anything.
    God is already in action—
Sword honed on his whetstone,
    bow strung, arrow on the string,
Lethal weapons in hand,
    each arrow a flaming missile.

¹⁴ Look at that guy!
    He had sex with sin,
    he’s pregnant with evil.
Oh, look! He’s having
    the baby—a Lie-Baby!

^15-16 See that man shoveling day after day,
    digging, then concealing, his man-trap
    down that lonely stretch of road?
Go back and look again—you’ll see him in it headfirst,
    legs waving in the breeze.
That’s what happens:
    mischief backfires;
    violence boomerangs.

¹⁷ I’m thanking God, who makes things right.
I’m singing the fame of heaven-high God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

David is “praying, singing, praising, and calling out to God on the run” from his enemies led by King Saul.  The enemy wrongly accuses and slanders David to all who will listen with words of hate coupled with the terror of pursuit with the goal to kill David. David learned early in life, being ostracized by his brothers, that life is not fair.  But he also was taught that God is just and will provide a Way through the unfairness to provide justice. While in pursuit from the Enemy, David was always in pursuit of the God he loved and trusted completely.  David looked to God who is more than enough until his problems become less.  “God is bigger than Goliath who defiles God with his words!”  This is the heart cry of David who ran after the heart of God. 

Living by faith, however, David also learns he must wait on God’s perfect timing.

Yes, David is a runner, are we? Are we running to God for dear life?

FOCUS IN:  God is just, the One and Only who gives Life eternal to all who believe. God is faithful through all generations. God is Truth, proven by His love and actions as written in His Word from Genesis to Revelation.  His Son, Jesus, God made flesh who walked among humanity on earth, was/is/and always will be the Way, Truth, and Life!

God’s love is unchanging and forever, just like God who never changes in His character of perfect love. Nothing can separate us from His love. To know love is to know God who is love.  (1 John 4)

God is merciful and full of grace.  There is nothing we have done that He will not forgive in Jesus Name. Jesus is our Hope—God’s arrangement, plan, with power demonstrated by His Love—who resurrected Jesus from death to life in victory over evil!  All done for all who believe!  Our God is amazing!  Trust Him!  He knows our story and our heart.  God provides a justice for the injustice of this world.  He provides justice for us when we repent of our sins.  It’s like this, God is just to forgive us completely “just as if we had never sinned”. We are justified fully—our sins to be remembered no more—our screensavers of life wiped clean by Him who loves and restores us to Life!

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” —Jesus, John 11:25-26

Lord,

I trust you with my whole life because You are Life to me.  Yes, I believe. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

We say we trust God. But until a mess explodes in our faces with the reaction to first try to clean it or patch it with the our own resources we have on hand, our trust is not matured or reliable.  We preach, Trust God—He knows what He is doing!  But until we are tested with our own Job-like experiences with an immediate first response of turning to God, crying out for His mercy and guidance through the temporary troubles; trust has not been internalized as a part of our being.  Trust in God, as we mentioned a couple of days ago, is like a child who runs immediately, without thinking, to his or her father as the first line of defense!  They know and trust, without a doubt, their father or mother can and will do something to save them with help and protection against their foes. They know their parents who love them dearly will provide a solution to their troubles and trials.  We also know a lesson of correction will be taught in the process.  (Maybe that was just my parents; but I doubt it!)

I do not remember a time when my parents came to my aid without a lesson to arm me with the knowledge needed to avoid the same trouble the next time with teaching me the Supreme Resource to run to when tested and tried!  This was not a lesson of independence but a lesson of dependance our Jesus, The Resource who was  tried and true, who died to save me from my sins and rose again to give me faith in all circumstance with hope for a future beyond all the trials of earth.  I am grateful for this educational knowledge from my parents who led me to the Lord, the One they knew well because their parents taught them! 

Today’s song from our playlist accompanies well the psalm sung on the “playlist” of generations past when up against walls of terror; but yet they put their faith in God—Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Job, David, Joseph and Mary, just to name but a few! Imperfect people who put their trust in our Perfect, Holy, and Faithful God!

Christ is my firm foundation
The Rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaking
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t

I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
So I won’t be going under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I build my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful in еvery season
So why would He fail now?

Hе won’t, He won’t, He won’t fail

He won’t fail, He won’t.

Psalm 6, The Message

^1-2 Please, God, no more yelling,
    no more trips to the woodshed.
Treat me nice for a change;
    I’m so starved for affection.

^2-3 Can’t you see I’m black-and-blue,
    beaten up badly in bones and soul?
God, how long will it take
    for you to let up?

^4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight;
    if you love me at all, get me out of here.
I’m no good to you dead, am I?
    I can’t sing in your choir if I’m buried in some tomb!

^6-7 I’m tired of all this—so tired. My bed
    has been floating forty days and nights
On the flood of my tears.
    My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
    nearly blind, I squint and grope.

^8-9 Get out of here, you Devil’s crew:
    at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
    my prayers are answered.

¹⁰ Cowards, my enemies disappear.
Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

David, the Psalmist, rejoiced because of God’s protection and peace. He encouraged others to trust in God. He knew, through deep struggle and grief, that God could and would sustain him.  Sorrow comes, but as believers we can place all our confidence in God because He indeed listens while restoring His joy in our hearts as He continues His work in us.  David psalms record the stages in his difficult experiences of life of moving by faith from trial to triumph.  We are given the same Resource to have and to hold onto, a faith in God for all seasons—a faith that forever builds in strength with wisdom  as God helps us.  May His Will be done.

Our response is up to each one of us:

Who do we run to first!

Who do we honestly cry out to then pause to listen to confidently with trust for help? 

I choose God—He knows what He is doing! Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…

Lord,

Thank you for this lesson of faith, trust and surrender to your will. Help us daily as you use the tests, trials and troubles to mature our faith in you—The One who is able and enough for all of us!

In Jesus Name, Amen

And we’re singing…

Rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
I’m safe with You
I’m gonna make it through

Yeah, I’m gonna make it through
‘Cause I’m standing strong on You

Christ is my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaken
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?

He won’t, He won’t
He won’t fail, He won’t fail, HE WON’T.  

(Official lyrics of Firm Foundation (He Won’t) by Austin Davis / Chandler Moore / Cody Carnes.)